Seal-off arrangement for undershot ink fountain



y 1960 v. J. HILGOE ETAL 2, 5,

SEAL-OFF ARRANGEMENT FOR UNDERSHOT INK FOUNTAIN Filed May 5; 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 h July 19, 1960 V. J- HILGOE ET AL SEAL-OFF ARRANGEMENT FOR UNDERSHOT INK FOUNTAIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5, 1958 rovErm-ro% MM, @MW W 1 Oiw-rciP-M July 19, 1960 v. J. HILGOE ETAL 2,945,437

SEAL-OFF ARRANGEMENT FOR UNDERSHOT INK FOUNTAIN v Filed May 5, 1958 l 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1' S7 cgf 6 out of operation. leakage preventing arrangement which effects positive seal- "ing but without any risk of damaging or affecting the "fountain blade or roller.

SEAL-OFF ARRANGEMENT FOR INK FOUNTAIN Vernon J. Hilgoe, Lombard, and Carl J I-Iermach, Westchester, llL, assignors to Miehle-Goss-Dexter, Incorporated, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 5, 1958, Ser. No. 732,848

7 Claims. (Cl- 101-350) The present invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to an arrangement for preventing ink leakage from an undershot ink fountain during stand-by conditions.

the fountain blade and the fountain roller when the printing press or fountain roller is silenced. In the past this problem has been met by providing auxiliary means for "clamping the fountain blade upwards against the fountain roller during shutdown, the blade. being moved out of contact with the regular adjusting screws. Upon releasing the clamping means, the blade may not restore itself 'to'theprecise adjusted position and therefore it is necessary to check the adjustment and, if necessary, readjust "when the press is re-started. Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device forfp'reve'nting ink leakage between the fountain blade and the fountain roller of an undershot ink fountain 'when a printing press or an individual ink fountain is silenced but which does not affect the precise adjustment of the fountain blade when the device is switched in and It is a related object to provide a It is another object to provide a sealing device for an undershot ink fountain which is effective and positive 'in'operation regardless of the thickness of the ink film i.e'., the'width of the gap for which the blade has been set. It is moreover an object of the invention to provide a sealing device which insures that the gap will be .unobs'tructed and free of any foreign matter when the press is restored to operation.

It is a further object to provide a control device for an undershot ink fountain which includes novel mechanism for shutting off the flow of ink at the fountain blade automatically upon silencing the fountain drive mechanism. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a device of the above type which may be easily adjusted relative to the associated fountain-silencing linkage and in which there is easy access for cleaning and inspection.

' Finally, it is an object to provide a device of the above type which is susceptible of use not only in new undershot ink fountains but which may be added as a useful auxiliary to fountains already in the field and which is compact, inexpensive, and easily installed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a'side elevation in partial section of an I ink fountain employing the present invention.

Fig. 1a is a fragmentary view showing the path of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a clutch detail in the form of a longitudinal section taken along line 77 in Fig. '1.

Fig. 8 is an elevation, in partial section, of another embodiment of the invention.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, we have shown in the drawings and here will describe in detail only the preferred embodiments of the invention. It is understood, however, that we do not intend to limit the invention by such disclosure but aim to cover all equivalent and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Turning now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, an undershot fountain arrangement is shown which forms a part of a complete magazine printing press. The device includes a fountain roller 12 supported in suitable frame membets and feeding ink to a pick-up roller 13 which cooperates with ink rollers 14, 15. Additional rollers (not shown) serve to smooth out the film of ink and feed it to a form roller for subsequent application of the ink film to the printing plates.

Arranged adjacent the fountain roller 12 and supported on the frame members is a longitudinally extending fountain'member or trough 20 carrying a fountain blade 21 which is secured therein by a series of screws 22 along its length. The blade is spaced from the fountain roller 12 to provide 'a gap 23. In order to adjust the gap and the resulting thickness of the ink film with precision, a series of adjusting screws 30 are screwed upwardly into the trough member 20, the tips 31 of the screws engaging the fountain blade 21 adjacent its forward edge. To facilitate adjustment of the screws 30, the screws are individually coupled to shafts 32 by universal joints 33, the shafts having easily accessible knobs or keys 34.

As is known in the art, adjusting the thickness of the film is a trial and adjustment procedure requiring a high degree of experience and skill. The adjustment will usually remain constant for continuous runs of the press. Unfortunately, it is necessary to shut the press down from time to time, and consequently means must be provided for preventing ink leakage between the fountain blade and fountain roller while the press is idle, particularly where inks of thin consistency are employed.

In accordance with the present invention a resilient sealing member is provided which is arranged adjacent the edge of the fountain blade and parallel thereto and mounted for edgewise movement between a sealing position in which the sealing member is in contact with the fountain blade and the fountain roller for sealing the gap between them and a retracted position in which the sealing member is spaced from the fountain blade and roller. In the present instance the sealing member is in the form of a longitudinally extending blade 4% of resilient, rubber like material mounted on a longitudinally extending mounting bar 41. The lower portion of the resilient blade is secured to the bar by means of a suitable longitudinal clamping strip 42 held by a row of screws 43 threaded into the bar.

Further in accordance with the present invention the be hungmp on the edge of the fountain blade.

that its tip follows an arcuate path having a shallow intersection with the arcuate surface of the fountain roller sothat upon striking such surfacethe blade tip is guided upwardly therealong and into contact withthe edge of the fountain blade and into the gap 23 between the blade and the roller. For swinging theresilient sealing blade upwardly and downwardly in theprese'nt instance, the mounting bar 41 is secured to a pair of pivoted arms 45, 45a (Figs. 2 and 3); The latter are of downwardly offset, gooseneck shape in order to clear the underside of the fountain member and are mounted on a shaft 50 which is journaled in the fountain member 20. As shown on the drawing, the desired condition of shallow intersection may be conveniently achieved by locating the shaft 50 at the rear of the regular fountain blade and by making the arms of such length that the effective radius of the tip of the sealing blade intersects the fountain roller below a plane interconnectingthe arm axis and fountain roller axis.

As a more detailed feature of the invention the tip of the sealing blade is preferably beveled or chamfered to form a sharpened edge thereby to facilitate entry into the space 23. If desired, other tip profiles equally capable of sealing the gap 23 may be used.

The effect of the foregoing is set forth in Fig. la which is an enlarged fragmentary view. The arcuate path of movement of the tip of the sealing blade is along the locus shown dotted at 51 until contact with the roller 12 is made. It will be noted that the are 51 has a shallow intersection with the arcuate surface of the fountain roller 12, initial contact taking place along a line 52 a short distance below the fountain blade. When contact is made the tip of the sealing blade seats along the roller over its entire length so that the blade edge is thereby made true and straight. Since in a practical case the sealing blade 4G is made of soft material only about 7 inch in thickness, the pre-alignment of the blade brought about by the initial contact with the roller serves to remove any slight waves or irregularities in the blade edge.

Upon continued upward swinging movement of the arms 45, 45a, the tip or edge of the sealing blade rides upwardly along the surface of the fountain roller, maintaining contact with such roller and yielding laterally by a slight amount. The fact that the sealing blade is kept in contact with the fountain roller insures thatthe tip of the sealing blade will enter into the gap 23 between the fountain blade and roller as shown in Fig. la along its entire length, and no portion of the sealing blade will Because of the action described above and in view of the nature of the material employed as well as the shape of the tip, the sealing blade tends to seek a centered, sealing position Within the gap regardless of the gap setting and in spite of minor mis-alignment of the sealing parts. For example, sealing will take place even though the axis of rotation of the arms 45, 45a may not be precisely parallel with the axis of rotation of the fountain roller.

Because of the resilient nature of the sealing blade, it is incapable of damaging either the fountain blade or the cooperating fountain roller by repeated contact. And, because the pressure is concentrated along a well defined line, a positive seal is assured with only light forces being applied, to the sealing blade. In any event, the force on the fountain blade 21 is applied predominantly edgewise and hence there is no tendency to displace the blade from its adjusted position.

At least partial entry of the sealing blade 40 into the gap 23 moreover tends to clear the gap of any foreign material or obstruction so that when the sealing blade "'40 is withdrawn incident to restarting of the press, free bladeis assured.

In accordance with one of the aspects of the present invention a novel mechanism is provided for operating the sealing blade i.e., moving it between its operating and retracted position incident to controlling the rotation of the fountain roller while nevertheless permitting the shutoff means to be accurately' adjusted with respect to the controlling linkage. In the present device the drive to the fountain rollerincludes a clutch 55 having a rotatable control member 56 which is operated by a link 57. For the purpose of actuating the link 57 an operating lever 60 is provided lying adjacent the shut-off lever 45 and pivoted on the shaft 50.

For rocking the operating lever between its two positions, an actuator is provided having a cylinder anchored to the frame at a pivot 66 and having a plunger rod 67 which is pinned to the lower end of the operating lever 60 at a pivot 68.

In order to cause rocking of the shut-off lever 45, in

unison with the operating lever 60, the two are secured together by means of a screw 70 having a head 71. For enabling adjustment of the phase position between the operating lever 60 and the shut-off lever 45, the end of the screw 70 is received in a separate bushing mounted in an elongated opening 76 formed in the body of-the shut-oif lever 45. The bushing 75 is adjustably fixed in the opening 76 by threaded engagement with an adjusting screw 77 having a lock nut 78 (see Fig. 5). Changing the position of bushing 75 by turning screw 77 results in adjusting the relative positions of levers 45 and 60.

A similar adjusting arrangement is employed at the other end of its shaft 50 as set forth in Fig. 3. Here it will be noted that the arm 45a which mounts the end of the bar 41 has an adjacent operating arm 60a keyed to the shaft 50 by a key 47a. The arms 45a, 60a are secured together by a screw 70a which screws into a bushing 75a mounted in a slot 76a formed in the arm 45a, the structure being substantially a mirror image of that shown in Fig. 5. An adjusting screw 77a serves to position the bushing in the slot and enables adjustment of the angular position of the arm 45a and, hence, the angular position of the sealing member, with respect to the shaft 50.

Prior to discussing the operation of the device, further mention may be made, for the sake of completeness, of the clutch 55 which couples and uncouples the fountain roller. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6 the rotatable control member 56 of the clutch includes radially extending stripper bolts 81, 82 which ride in helical slots 83, 84 formed in axially projecting brackets 85, 86 secured to the frame. Thus when the control member 56 is rocked by the link 57 connected to it, it moves axially, which axial movement is utilized to' engage and disengage the clutch. Referring to the clutch sectional view in Fig. 7, the clutch includes a sleeve member 90 which is captive with respect to the control member 56 and which serves to operate a prying lever 91 which has a prying engagement with thrust members 92, 93 associated with a set of discs 94, a portion of which are coupled to the member 95 of the clutch. The arrangement is therefore such that when the control member 56 is rotated clockwise the sleeve member 90 is thrust to the left (Fig. 7) cansing the lever 91 to force the discs together, thereby engaging the clutch.

With the above describedconstruction in mind it will be helpful to review a typical operating cycle, starting with the closed condition (Fig. 4). Thus when fluid is admitted to the actuator 65 through part A by suitable control means (not shown) the operating lever 60 is rocked clockwise carrying with it the shut-off levers 45 and 45a which move in unison at both ends of the fountain. This moves the longitudinally extending mounting bar 41 downwardly away from the fountain blade 21 and fountain roller 12 into the position shown in Fig. 1, thereby freeing the gap between theblade and the fountain roller. The clockwise rotation of the operating lever moreover produces clockwise rotation of the clutch control member 56 with consequent engagement of the clutch and rotation of the fountain roller. When fluid is admitted through part B the reverse takes place, with the sealing blade being swung upwardly into the sealing position shown in Fig. 4 and the clutch being disengaged to silence rotation of the fountain roller.

To adjust the relative position of the lever 45 and operating lever 60 when in sealing position, the adjusting 'screw 77 is turned (Fig. 5) thereby moving the bushing 75 either in one direction or the other in the slot 76. When the adjustment is correct, the bushing 75 may be locked by tightening the nut 78. The lever 45a may be adjusted with respect to the lever 60a by adjusting the position of the bushing 75a in the slot 76a.

When it is desired to swing the sealing blade downwardly into an out-of-the-way position for cleaning or replacing the blade, the screw 70 is unscrewed from the bushing 75 in the shut-off lever 45 simply by turning the head or hand wheel 71 at the outer end thereof. This frees the shut-off lever 45 from the operating lever, so that the lever 45 may be swung downwardly under the control of a manual operating handle 46 forming a part oflever 45. This causes rotation of shaft 50 with the result that lever 45a at its opposite end is also swung downwardly. When cleaning is completed, the shut-oif levers are swung back to their original position and the screw 70 is screwed into place. Cleaning may thus be effected without disturbing the accurate adjustment of the shut-off lever with respect to the operating lever.

While the invention has been discussed in connection with a pointed sealing blade, it will be apparent that the invention in its broader aspects is not limited thereto, but the leading edge of the sealing blade may have any desired shape or contour provided that it closes the gap between the edge of the fountain blade and the fountain roller.

In the construction discussed thus far and covered in Figs. 1 to 7, the sealing blade is located below the fountain blade. The invention, in its broader aspect, is not however limited thereto and an arrangement may be employed as shown in Fig. 8 in which the sealing blade is mounted within the ink trough and above the fountain blade. The operation of the device will be apparent in the light of the above discussion.

Briefly stated, the device shown in Fig. 8 includes a sealing blade 40a mounted on a longitudinally extending mounting bar 41a which is pivoted for swinging movement on a pair of shut-off levers one of which is shown as 99 mounted for rotation above a shaft 50a. tating the shut-off lever an operating lever 60a is provided which is operated by a link 100 which in turn is coupled to an operator which may be in the form of a manually operated arm 101. In order to provide for cushioning of the shut-off lever 45a the same is articulated by a pivot 102, with the articulated portions of the arm being interconnected by a spring 103. In operation, it will be apparent that moving the manual operating lever 101 from left to right causes counterclockwise rotation of the shaft Stla and downward movement of the shut-off lever 99 thereby bringing the resilient sealing blade 40a into the V-shaped gap defined by the fountain blade and fountain roller. Upon restarting the press the manual operating lever 101 is moved in the opposite direction thus swinging the sealing blade back into the position illustrated in Fig. 8.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a printing press an ink fountain arrangement comprising, in combination, a fountain roller, a fountain blade arranged parallel to the roller and having means for adjusting the gap between the blade and the roller, means for containing a body of ink above said blade, means for rotating said roller in a direction downwardly For rofrom said fountain blade so that a film of ink is carried by said roller of a thickness controlled by said adjusting means, a longitudinal sealing member for blocking the gap between the edge of the fountain blade and the fountain roller, means for mounting the sealing member for movement between a sealing position in said gap and a retracted position in which the sealing member is removed from said gap, and means for moving said mounting means from its retracted position to its sealing position incident to silencing the fountain.

2. In a printing press an ink fountain arrangement comprising, in combination, a fountain roller, a fountain blade arranged parallel to the roller and having means for adjusting the spacing from point to point between the blade and the roller, means for containing a body of ink above said blade, means for rotating said roller in a direction downwardly from said fountain blade so that a film of ink is carried by said roller of a thickness controlled by said adjusting means, a sealing member in the form of a resilient blade of rubber-like material arranged generally vertically and having atip portion positioned along the edge of the fountain blade and parallel thereto, and means for mounting said sealing blade for edgewise movement between a first position in which the tip po'rtion of the sealing blade is in contact with the fountain blade and the fountain roller for sealing the gap between them and a second position in which the sealing blade is spaced from said fountain blade and roller.

3. In a printing press an ink fountain arrangement comprising, in combination, a fountain roller, a fountain blade arranged parallel to the roller and having means for adjusting the spacing from point to point between the blade and the roller, means for containing a body of ink above said blade, means for rotating said roller in a direction downwardly from said blade so that a film of ink is carried by said roller of a thickness controlled by said adjusting means, a resilient sealing blade arranged longitudinally along the edge of the fountain blade and parallel thereto, means for mounting said resilient sealing blade for edgewise movement between a sealing position in which the sealing blade is in contact with the fountain blade and the fountain roller for sealing the gap between them and a retracted position in which the sealing blade is spaced from the fountain blade and roller.

4. In a printing press an ink fountain arrangement comprising, in combination, a fountain roller having a disengageable drive connection, a fountain blade arranged parallel to the roller and having a base portion and edge po'rtion together with means for adjusting the spacing from point to point between the roller and the edge of the blade, means for containing a body of ink above said blade, means for rotating said roller in a direction downwardly from said fountain blade so that a fihn of ink is picked up by said roller of a thickness controlled by said adjusting means, a resilient sealing blade arranged longitudinally along the edge of the fountain blade and parallel thereto, mounting means for said sealing blade including a pair of arms pivoted about an axis parallel to the edge of said fountain blade and located rearwardly of the base portion of the latter so that upon swinging the arms the sealing blade is moved between a sealing position in which the tip of the sealing blade is in contact with the edge of the fountain blade and the fountain roller for sealing the gap between them and a retracted position in which the sealing blade is spaced from said fountain blade and roller, and power operated means for simultaneously engaging the drive connection and moving the sealing blade mounting means from the sealing position to the retracted position.

5. In a printing press an ink fountain arrangement comprising, in combination, a fountain roller, a fountain blade arranged parallel to the roller and having means for adjusting the spacing from point to point between the fountain blade and the roller, means for containing a body of ink above said blade, means for rotating said roller in a direction downwardly from said fountain blade so that a film of ink is picked up by said roller of a thickness controlled by said adjusting means, a resilient "sealing blade arranged along the edge of the fountain blade and parallel thereto, means for mounting said resilient sealing blade for bodily swinging movement of the tip thereof along an arcuate path which has a shallow intersection with the arcuate surface of the fountain roller so that upon striking said surface the tip of the blade is deflected and guided upwardly therealong into sealing contact with the edge of the fountain blade.

6. In a printing press an ink fountain arrangement comprising, in combination, a fountain roller, a fountain blade arranged parallel to the roller and having means for adjusting the spacing from point to point between the fountain blade and the roller, means for containing a body of ink above said blade, means for rotating said roller in a direction downwardly from said fountain blade so that a film of ink is picked up by said roller of a thickness controlled by said adjusting means, a resilient sealing blade arranged along the edge of the fountain blade and parallel thereto, means for mounting said resilient sealing blade for bodily movement of the tip 'for adjusting the spacing from point to point between the fountain blade and the roller, means for containing a body of ink above said blade, means for rotating said roller in a direction downwardly from said fountain blade so that a film of ink is picked up by said roller of a thickness controlled by said adjusting means, a resilient sealing blade arranged along the edge of the fountain blade and parallel thereto, means for mounting said thereof along a path which has a shallow intersection 25 resilient sealing blade for bodily movement of the tip thereof edgewise along a path which has a shallow intersection with the arcuate surface of the fountain roller so that upon striking said surface the tip of the blade is guided therealong and into sealing contact with the edgevof the fountain blade, and adjustable means for limiting the movement of the sealing blade in the direction of sealing contact.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

